Col Brian D. ‘Jumper’ Childs is a former RAF and British Special Forces ‘Airborne’ pilot and paratrooper with 14,500 hrs of flight experience including 8,000 as a Flight Instructor. He has served in British, Canadian and U.S uniforms and is the former Wing Commander of the University of London ROTC. He is the former Chairman & CEO of Computer Land and also formerly President & CEO of Data General Computers in Canada and Australia. He is the Director of the MMA Air Wing and also Chief Instructor of the USAF (Auxiliary). He still speaks with a ‘funny’ accent and apologizes to all his English speaking American colleagues but reminds them that they all have the accent as it was his language in the first place and its on loan to y’all! He is willing to teach English as a Second language (ESL) to any parents requiring assistance! |
Capt. Eric ‘Groucho’ Hake – Groucho (who doesn’t feel he bears any resemblance to the famous comedian (Groucho Marx) whatsoever); first got the aviation 'bug' at the early age of 5. As a birthday gift, his father (also a pilot) arranged for an airplane ride with his uncle, an air show pilot, and they went through his whole aerobatic routine. After that flight, he was hooked! Groucho is an experienced software developer, web designer, computer graphic artist, former Chief Technology Officer and card carrying Mensan. Don’t get him started on the virtues of Macs vs. PC’s - he just might convince you to... “Get a Mac!”
Groucho is the XO of the Air Wing and also flies ‘Search and Rescue’, as do his other Air Wing Colleagues, for the USAF (Aux). |
| Maj Paul ‘Pablo’ Chapman - Graduated from Baylor right after the earth cooled, joined the Marines to see the world, got to see Vietnam twice in F-4s, taught at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, retired from the USMC, taught high school and college and then retired when he discovered there was no career in philosophy. Former member of AOPA’s Flight Instructor Re-certification team, FAA Safety Advisor, and leader of aviation safety seminars across the state. Board member, Texas Aviation Assn. Singer of songs and ballads, casual hero, former famous person. etc etc .... Pablo leads all the Aerospace elective classes at the Academy as well as flying as an I/P (Instructor Pilot). |
Maj Jean-Luc ‘Frogman’ Pous is a French national and former Platoon Commander of a French Foreign Legion ‘Airborne’ Platoon. He is also a recognized expert in parachuting both as an instructor and National champion. He is called ‘Frogman’ for two reasons - he’s French and he’s a Master Instructor in Scuba diving . He has lived in over 21 countries having traveled as a senior executive of Slumberger. He has an ‘old world’ style of good manners, professionalism and humor and has taught for the USAF (Auxiliary) both for Texas Wing and Nationally. He is a very experienced instructor who loves aerobatics but not at MMA! Merci mon vieux!! Vive le parachutism etc etc.... |
| Capt Mark ‘Diver’ McCoy is a former USAF, AWACS, Airborne Battle Manager and a qualified Aerospace Ground School Instructor and pilot. Despite being built like a ‘Yeti,’ he is very low key and a master scuba diver. He is the Air Wing Logistics Officer and handles all aircraft maintenance and scheduling, as well as teaching ground school. |
Lt Col Robert ‘Wambo’ McDonnell is a former USAF F16 fighter pilot. He has so many hours on afterburner that he shrunk from 6ft 6ins to 5ft 9ins and lost most of his hair. (This is a prerequisite for superior I/P’s (Instructor Pilots). Wambo is also a heavy metal driver for Northwest Airlines and is frequently overseas in exotic places. He assists the Air Wing during the Summer Program |
| Capt. Mark ‘Jedi’ Jacobs is a native of Philadelphia, Pa now a bona fide New Englander living outside of Boston Massachusetts. He is a rabid Red Sox fan and will refuse flight instruction to any Yankee fans. He learned to fly in an airplane that was glued together and has flown most types of single engine civilian airplanes. His only military piloting experience occurred when he flew the P-3 simulator at JAX NAS under the Golden Gate Bridge. He is rated in gliders so an engine failure is no big deal. At one time he starved as a charter pilot between New Bedford and Nantucket. A TV sitcom was written about his escapades. It was called Wings. A former CAP cadet he now serves as an IP and Massachusetts Wing (USAF Auxiliary) Standards /Evaluation Officer. He is an engineer by training and assists the Air Wing with its Summer Program. |
Capt Nicole ‘Ghost’ Novack comes to us after having served as a flight instructor at Frederick Flight Center in Maryland (AOPA’s home base). She received all her ratings in Maryland, including her CFI, CFII and MEI. She loves cross-country flights and has traveled from Maryland to San Francisco and back in a C172. She also enjoys aerobatic flights, but won’t be providing that kind of instruction at the Academy. Her university major is aviation with a minor in security and intelligence. (The only intelligence that we have as I/P’s!). She is former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and has a Master Instructor Rating and ‘black belt’ in ‘tae kwan do’ - so behave yourselves – or else! |
| Lt Col Earl ‘Mole’ Sleeper grew up on a farm in the Oklahoma panhandle. While flagging for local crop dusters, a desire to become a pilot was born. In high school and in college with the aid of a ROTC flight scholarship, the dream of flight was fulfilled. He joined the Army Aviator course and qualified both on fixed wing and rotorcraft. After 3 years in Germany flying Army helicopters, the civilian life called and led to a flight instructor life followed by a stint in the Oklahoma National Guard as a gun pilot and corporate flying. In 1986 ‘Mole’ was fortunate enough to obtain a job as a U. S. Customs pilot fighting the “drug war” which now includes looking for illegal aliens as a member of the Homeland Security Department. He has over 7000 hours flight time and is a pilot and instructor for both fixed and rotor wing aircraft. |
Lt Col Rayford ‘R.K.’ Brown left high school for US Air Force Academy in ‘64. He started flying in the Academy Aero Club in 65 and got his Private Pilot rating in 66. In 68 he flunked his Air Force pilot’s physical for eyesight and went to Navigator School. In 69 he started flying backseat F-4 and continued that for 19 years including over 200 missions in South East Asia including having to ‘eject’ over Laos. After flying Col Brown served as the Commandant of the Academy of Military Science making 2nd Lt’s for the Air National Guard. He became a CFI in 2004 and instructs on the Air Wing staff during the Summer Program. |
| Dr C. Tad ‘Doc’ Stiles, MD is an Emergency Medicine practitioner and Certified Instructor Pilot. He is also a qualified Airline Transport Pilot (ATPL). He joins the Air Wing staff during his vacation as he loves to teach and fly. We are fortunate to have our own medical aviator on staff for some of the summer. |
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